'Humanitarian' Arrested for Alleged Sex Assaults Against Minors

'Humanitarian' Arrested for Alleged Sex Assaults Against Minors

Published September 18, 2009

More than a decade ago, Douglas Perlitz was lauded as a humanitarian for setting up a home for needy children in the tiny impoverished nation of Haiti. Turns out, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday, that Perlitz’s home may merely have been the snare he used to catch young boys for his own sexual desires.

Video: Haitian Boys' School Founder Charged With Sex Abuse

A Fairfield County, Conn., grand jury indicted Perlitz on 10 counts of sexual abuse against nine boys over the past decade. Seven counts allege that Perlitz traveled out of the United States to engage in sex with minors; three counts are for allegedly having sex with minors in a foreign country.

Although Perlitz lived in Haiti for many years, he was arrested at his home in Colorado Wednesday morning, the Justice Department said in a news release. In addition to the promise of a home, Perlitz allegedly used everything from food to cell phones and cash to entice the boys, the department says.

He could spend the next 30 years in prison and be forced to pay $2.5 million in fines if he is convicted on all counts.

Written by BET.com Staff

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